Just west of Fargo, North Dakota stands a lone tree isolated on the prairie. I have driven by this tree for the past 30 years. Yesterday was the first snowfall of the winter season and I was able to capture this tree in all of its stark contrast to the new fallen snow. (This is not a black and white photo. The colors or lack thereof are true.)
It was a beautiful sight. via Tumblr http://bit.ly/1OzOje2

A catkin or ament is a slim, cylindrical flower cluster, with inconspicuous or no petals, usually wind-pollinated (anemophilous) but sometimes insect-pollinated (as in Salix). They contain many, usually unisexual flowers, arranged closely along a central stem which is often drooping. They are found in many plant families, including Betulaceae, Fagaceae, Moraceae, and Salicaceae. For some time, they were believed to be a key synapomorphy among the proposed Hamamelididae, but it is now believed that this flower arrangement has arisen independently by convergent evolution on a number of occasions.http://ift.tt/1BygBvihttp://ift.tt/1JaQNgG